science

Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol

Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol rather than just read about it. In short: Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol sold under the brandname Microlax and Micolette Micro enema, among others, is a small tube of liquid gel that is used to treat constipation. The main active ingredients are sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (0.90% w/v), sodium citrate (9.0% w/v) and glycerol.

Key takeaways

Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol sold under the brandname Microlax and Micolette Micro enema, among others, is a small tube of liquid gel that is used to treat constipation. The main active ingredients are sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (0.90% w/v), sodium citrate (9.0% w/v) and glycerol.

Medical uses The main use is for treatment of constipation. In surgery it is used for pre-operative evacuation of the bowel. In diagnostic testing it is used before x-ray examinations or physical examinations of the colon. It is safe for use in children. If used in children under 3 years, it is recommended that the nozzle is only inserted half way. It is safe as a laxative during the postnatal period for woman and while breastfeeding.

Contraindications Microlax (like any other saline laxative) should not be used in cases of intestinal inflammation.

Mechanism of action Sodium citrate saline is one of the most effective osmotic laxatives (secondary in action only to magnesium citrate). Its laxative action is the result of osmotic imbalance that extracts bound water from stool and pulls it back into the large bowel. The increased water content softens the stool and stimulates the bowel to contract (move its contents to the rectum). Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate improves the wetting and penetrating abilities of the solution, sorbitol enhances the water-releasing effect of sodium citrate and glycerol helps to lubricate the stool. The combined action helps to soften hard stools and relieve constipation without straining in a very short period of time ~ 15 min. The ingredients are not absorbed, distributed or metabolised by the human body; all of the composition is excreted in faeces.

History 1960 - Microlax micro-enema was invented in Sweden by Paul Gunnar Embring from Uppsala and Per Ove Mattsson from Stockholm for Pharmacia company. The original purpose of the invention was for clearing the colon and rectum for X-ray investigation "without any risk of the fluid balance of the body being disturbed". The first use of "Microlax" in commerce was registered on June 16, 1960. In 1962, Microlax registered as the US trademark on February 20, 1962. In May 1963 first medical article on Microlax published in Danish medical journal Ugeskrift for Læger (Weekly Journal for Physicians). In 1964, Microenema containing sodium citrate, sodium laurylsulphoacetate and sorbitol was tested in preparation of the bowel for sigmoidoscopy. Results were published in the American Journal of Proctology. In 1965 a comparative study of Microlax and enema published in Ugeskrift for Læger. In 1967 – an article, published in The Medical Journal of Australia proved the results of 1964 US study and confirmed the efficiency of using Microlax as part of preparation for sigmoidoscopy. In 1996 a study in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine suggested mailing "Microlax" micro-enemas to patients who are scheduled for sigmoidoscopy.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol

In research: Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1960 introductions, Combination drugs, Laxatives, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol in simple terms?

Why does Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sodium citrate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate/glycerol.